Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mike Hammer Christmas Cards - I, the Jury (Harry Essex, 1953)

A mind-bogglingly seedy It's a Wonderful Life for the Eat in Your Ketchup-Splattered Underwear from a Hobbled TV Tray Set, Essex's I, The Jury revels in ugliness, cheap shots & the rat-like lives of entirely indefensible human beings. It also sports the ugliest collection of interstitials in cinema history, a series of depressing Christmas cards "designed" by either Wiard Ihnen or Al St. Hilaire (Anonymous was apparently taken). With the state of things, this is just the holiday classic we deserve. Ashcan cinematography by the great John Alton.

The slug from a .45 automatic. Just so you know the movie isn't all sleighbells & festive red earmuffs.